Wednesday

the big three

There are a few people I cannot stand in the fashion community. There are only three that I absolutely loathe and in one issue of i-D, they mention them which really grinds my gears.

|1| Terry Richardson

No different from the photographer who took your school picture

This man is disgusting. His style of photography is neither innovative nor memorable and the one theme he does is sex. All his photos look exactly the same. He sexually abuses models yet people still hire him for campaigns and editorials. In any work situation, it is not acceptable for a man to expose himself and ask a woman, let alone a 16-year old girl, to grab his penis. I think if modeling agencies had any morals, they would not send any underage girls to be photographed by Richardson.

| 2 | Erin Wasson

Another collaboration that irritates me: Zadig & Voltaire teamed up with Erin Wasson to create a collection that sounds horrible.

According to Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas (a fascinating read I highly recommend it), Zadig & Voltaire clothing is produced in Mauritius, where there is a higher attention to quality which I can respect. Sweatshops and labour rights is another thing but considering the price point of certain

labels, I expect a higher level of quality. For example, Marc by Marc Jacobs clothing may look well designed but the price is grossly inflated for the quality. A Made in China labelis not necessarily an indication of bad quality. Many luxury brands have factories in Chinaand send it to Italy or France to do the final touches so they can stamp a Made in Italy or France.

However, Rei Kawabuko once said that she designs for the bag ladies of New York. As controversial as these statements are, Kawabuko said it in the 1980s and Wasson said it in September of 2008. Also, I make a distinction between these two: one is a highly conceptual designer and the other is, let's face it, influential because she was lucky in the gene pool.

Lastly her style does not appeal to me. She's famous for being a successful model and subsequently was able to create a jewelery line that was ridiculously hyped and lauded by fashion bloggers.

| 3 | Tommy Hilfiger

Note that the so-called racist rumours made on Oprah's show is an urban myth. I've never understood why this man is considered a designer. To me he's more like Jessica Simpson in terms of "designing". He may be well known for being an American designer and built a global mega-brand but in my opinion he is not even close to Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein. Unfortunately he is collaborating with G.H. Bass & Co (my preferred brand for reasonably priced shoes) to recreate the infamous Weejun penny loafers. Why him?

I'm highly critical of these three and such are my reasons. Whenever I see these three mentioned I am biased to hate it automatically. Most of the time I ignore them but I was disappointed they were collaborating with companies I respect. I really wish i-D would stop asking Richardson to contribute since there are dozens of photographers who are infinitely more talented (and with better morals) who would love to be featured.

Aside from that, the August issue of i-D is worth flipping through if you get a chance. There is an interview and editorial with Raf Simons on Jil Sander as well as an interview with Hilary Alexandra retiring from the Daily Telegraph.

In more consumer-istic news

Look Gareth Pugh x MAC! A collaboration I wholly support. I'm more into skincare than makeup but I do want that bag. Unfortunately it is $90 CAD. Sigh.